ARE YOU A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST?
If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matt. 16:24)
If you identify yourself as a Christian, a Jesus freak, a child of God, a believer - maybe it is time to ask yourself some tough questions about what it really means to follow Jesus. In these days, while so many are suffering and afraid, the world has never needed the gospel of Jesus more. And you are called to participate.
ONE LORD, ONE KING. ONLY ONE.
Do you confess Jesus Christ or just a watered down version of God - a safe title, comfortable to most religions, easily misaligned...
Ladies and gentlemen...in love, and with utmost humility, I am here to tell you that it's not enough to preach 'God'. The world has enough gods, but there is only one Jesus and He has set His seal upon you! He is love and life itself; the cornerstone and the rock who will crush all the kingdoms of men. We must remember our first love! Jesus is Lord and we are to love Him with all our hearts, souls and minds - unashamed.
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:10-11)
"There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." -Jesus (Acts 4:12)
"He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." - Jesus
(Mark 16:16)
HOW CAN I KNOW IF I'M FOLLOWING AFTER JESUS?
consider the worlds of Jesus...
"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it'." (Mark 8:34-35)
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matt 10:32)
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world" (John 15:18-19)
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
(Mark 16:17-18)
ONE PURPOSE, ONE FAMILY. UNITED IN CHRIST
Isn't it time God's children put Jesus on the throne, living solely for Christ - together?
Jesus came not just to set us free from sin and death, but to make us joint heirs with Him - members of one body. He answered so many cries heard throughout the nations, both in history gone by, these current times and the days yet to come.
Jesus heard our cries for a "better world", "a bright future", "world peace", "one world government" and provided the only true way for us to be "all in this together". He came that we may have life!
So why then would we, His chosen ones, war against our brothers and sisters over matters of government, culture and social justice? We are to be united in our first love and our love for one another.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28)
Oh people who are called by Jesus name... now is the time to humble ourselves, confess our sins, forgive one another, and to lay it all down for Jesus. Our lives, hidden in Christ. Amen.
WE ARE THE SHEEP
Jesus is the Shepherd. The Shepherd leaves the 99 to seek the 1.
Lift up your eyes! Lay down your crown. Return to the Shepherd.
Together let us fall down at the feet of Jesus. Maybe you do this daily, maybe its been years, but we can never be there too long...amen? In Him is fulness of joy, life everlasting, peace that surpasses all understanding.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that our eyes of understanding will be enlightened; that we may know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which he worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. He has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him.
THIS IS WHO WE ARE!